Oscillating Gradient Diffusion-Weighted MRI For the Assessment of Breast Lesions

Motivation: Oscillating gradient diffusion-weighted imaging (OG-DWI) offers advanced microstructural insights, capturing cell density, diameter, and intracellular volume fraction, metrics often inaccessible with conventional MRI. Goal(s): This study aimed to evaluate OG-DWI's utility in quantitatively distinguishing breast lesions. Approach: Using OG-DWI, we effectively differentiated benign from malignant lesions, particularly at lower ADC percentiles. Results: These results suggest OG-DWI as a promising noninvasive imaging biomarker, enabling more accurate assessment of breast cancer aggressiveness by highlighting subtle microstructural differences linked to malignancy, thus enhancing diagnostic specificity. Impact: Oscillating gradient DWI, with shorter diffusion times, complements conventional pulsed gradient DWI by revealing additional tumor microstructural details. Combined OGSE and PGSE sequences may enable novel diffusion-based biomarkers for improved breast lesion characterization and stratification.